Date: Sixth Day of Festival
Location: Coliseum Arena – Gravel Pit Grounds
---
Anna wanted to fight.
She stood up as soon as the match was announced, eyes burning like she hadn't just collapsed last night. Her shoulders still trembled.
> "Let me go. I'm fine."
I looked at her. Really looked.
Her hands were shaking.
I shook my head once.
> "Rest. That's an order."
She didn't argue again. But when she sat back down, I noticed Lily's hand slip into hers.
---
The arena was wide open.
No cover. No traps. Just dust, heat, and six brawlers grinning like they'd already won.
The Ironbloods.
They came in like a crashing tide — no strategy, just full-force physical domination. Beastkin, mostly. Wild strength, harder skin, instincts sharp enough to feel heat from a blade.
They called us weak before the match.
They called me pitiful — a tactician without magic, too fragile to even enter the field.
But they didn't understand something simple:
We don't need raw power.
We have each other.
---
Gideon took the front.
Shield gleaming. Unmoving.
He didn't say much. Never does.
But today… today he whispered before stepping forward:
> "Let me be the wall."
And gods, he was.
They charged him together, fists and fangs, but he planted himself like a mountain.
Elric stood just behind him, hands glowing — healing burns before they formed, buffing muscle where it strained.
Riya circled wide, flames dancing from her fingertips, playful at first — then sharp.
Leander?
He laughed through the entire fight.
> "Did you really think we'd break?"
He didn't aim to wound — he aimed to humiliate. Every dodge, every tap of his blade, a reminder that strength means nothing without precision.
And Alice?
Elegant. Cold. Efficient.
But I saw the flicker of worry in her eyes when she glanced toward me before leaping into the fray.
She's been drinking more blood lately.
But she stop asks lately.
---
I stood back. The only one not moving. No magic. No blade.
Just my voice.
> "Riya, draw their leader left. Gideon, press at ten-second intervals. Leander—circle and contain."
No yelling. No barking.
Just… trust.
---
They fought hard.
But we didn't overpower them.
We outlasted them.
And when their final member fell — exhausted, not broken — the crowd stood in silence.
Then applause.
Not wild. Not chaotic.
Respectful.
---
After the match, we sat on the grass behind the arena.
Anna leaned against a tree, finally asleep.
Gideon closed his eyes and folded his hands like he was meditating.
Elric passed out soup again. No one asked where he got it.
Riya giggled over something Alice muttered.
Leander slouched beside me, arm behind his head.
And Lily sat down next to me.
Close.
Closer than usual.
We watched the clouds together.
> "You know," she whispered, "people think you're cold."
I turned.
She was smiling. Not teasing.
Soft. Curious.
> "But you're not, are you?"
I didn't answer.
I just looked back up at the sky.
And after a long pause, I murmured:
> "I just don't know how to carry all of them without shaking."
She didn't say anything else.
But her hand brushed mine.
And this time, neither of us pulled away.
---
Tomorrow is the final match.
But tonight?
We rest.
We laugh.
We heal.
And maybe… we begin again.
---
[End of Entry]